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Chapter 482. Vegetable Auction

"You mean... people hoard supplies in the apocalypse to survive?"

"And you stockpiled them but didn't touch them at all, letting them age into antiques..."

"Are you planning to auction it off now?"

Standing before the mountain of supplies piled up in the room, Andorra stared in shock at the heaps of daily necessities and fruits and vegetables.

That's right.

Jiang Jianxin nodded in agreement:

"I subconsciously followed everyone else and stockpiled, but I never expected to do so well afterward."

What is this?

Andor picked up a box of colorful candies and asked.

"That's popping candy."

Jiang Jianxin casually explained:

"Tear it open and pop it in your mouth, and you'll feel the sugar granules dancing on your tongue."

"Dance?"

Andorra tore open the packaging with some skepticism and poured the colorful sugar granules into his mouth.

The next second, his whole body suddenly stiffened.

"Crackling and popping—"

A subtle yet intense burst of sensation exploded in his mouth, the sugar granules bouncing and rolling merrily on his tongue as if they were alive, bringing an unprecedented tingling and itching sensation.

"Oh!"

Andor's eyes widened; the wondrous sensation both surprised and delighted him. He couldn't help but smack his lips, then a look of disbelief crossed his face.
"It can actually jump... How did they do that?"

While he was praising the auction, Jiang Jianxin also began searching for the auction's contact information.

She definitely wanted to buy all the natural, organic products from this supermarket from a high-end auction house, as she didn't trust other brands. So Jiang Jianxin contacted the auction house under the Rose Group directly.

The latter was honored to find that it was Sword Master calling personally, and was even more shocked to hear that she had a supermarket full of pre-apocalyptic supplies.

"What! You mean you still have fifty or sixty of those cabbages that were the grand finale at the auction?"

The person in charge of the auction was a young woman, and surprise almost radiated from her voice.

"Yes, besides cabbage, I also have potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots..."

Jiang Jianxin ordered a long list of dishes, and she could almost hear the other person gasp in surprise:
"Um... would it be convenient for me to go to the warehouse to take a look? After all, the items are quite valuable."

Jiang Jianxin agreed:

"Of course, you can come anytime."

Overwhelmed with surprise and shock, the Rose Auction House sent more than a dozen experts and scholars to verify the information that very afternoon.

Andorra and Edric went to tour the scenery north of Haidu. Jiang Jianxin was alone in the villa, so she invited the experts into the living room, had tea and exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then led them to the warehouse.

"Wow..."

Pushing open the warehouse door, in the dim light, one sees several stacks of cardboard boxes piled up somewhat haphazardly.

The box had no fancy packaging, only yellowed marks left by time, and didn't look like a place to store precious fruits and vegetables.

Several scholars unconsciously frowned, and a hint of doubt filled the air. Jiang Jianxin seemed to see through their thoughts and casually lifted the lid of the box closest to the door.

In an instant, a scent mixed with the fragrance of earth and the sweetness of fruits and vegetables burst forth, dispelling the musty smell in the warehouse.

The experts hesitated before peering over. Inside the dusty cardboard box were various pre-packaged ingredients.

On the very top layer were dozens of plump, round Chinese cabbages.

The vegetable leaves were layered, with green stems and white bellies, and the veins were clearly visible. They were so full of moisture that it seemed as if juice would flow out if you just pinched them gently.

"My God..."

A female expert in charge of agricultural product identification instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock:
"This isn't an ordinary Chinese cabbage; it's the long-lost 'Jiaozhou Chinese Cabbage' variety! Look at how tightly it forms its head, and its perfectly intact skin, free of any insect damage..."

Another expert couldn't wait to open the box next to him, which contained bags of Northeast rice, the grains of which were crystal clear.

Another box contained various seasonings, from Haitian soy sauce to Lao Gan Ma chili sauce; each brand was familiar yet felt so distant it was heartbreaking.

The person in charge, who had initially been scrutinizing him, now held a handful of ordinary noodles in his hands, his voice trembling with excitement:

"My goodness, these old-brand noodles are so well preserved!"

Another expert popped the cap off a glass bottle.

In an instant, a rich and mellow aroma of sesame oil exploded in the air as if it were a tangible substance.

It was a long-lost, pure aroma of oil, instantly evoking in everyone present memories of the most primal instinct of "eating".

"These are old supplies from before the apocalypse, and they're genuine!"

The expert shouted excitedly.

She walked to Jiang Jianxin's side, tears welling in her eyes, and took her hand, asking:

"Did the Sword Master collect all of these from the supermarket before the apocalypse?"

Jiang Jianxin nodded, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

“At that time, the world was in chaos. I happened to be passing by a supermarket, so I just picked up some supplies.”

Many people hoarded supplies at the time, but most of them consumed them.

Jiang Jianxin, however, was not a skilled cook. He harvested vegetables and grains but did not know how to process them, so he did not cook much. He mostly ate quick meals or freshly prepared food made by special contamination tools.

The experts became even more excited after confirming the origin of the items:
"An astronomical price! This is absolutely astronomical!"

Some people have already begun to make estimates in hushed tones:
"The soil is severely polluted after the apocalypse, and most vegetables have mutated. Some have even grown legs and run away on their own. Where can you find such pure, native vegetables? This warehouse is incredibly valuable!"

The auction house manager immediately made the decision:
"Sword Master, we must hold the highest-level special auction in the history of Haidu for this collection. Before that, we need to conduct a large-scale publicity campaign for these national treasures."

After receiving Jiang Jianxin's approval, the auction house's professional team quickly entered the room.

The photographer even set up a temporary photography studio in a corner of the warehouse. Under the soft light, the dusty cardboard boxes were opened, and every cabbage and every bottle of seasoning inside was given the treatment of a work of art.

As the photographer took the pictures, Jiang Jianxin's intuition asked him:
Looks like another sum of money has come in. What do you plan to do with it?

The Central City has produced new grain, but its distribution requires funding, so I plan to donate it to Chen Xinran.

Jiang Jianxin told the truth.

Using old, nearly lost grain recipes to pave the way for new, nascent grains can be seen as a form of inheritance and relay across time.

(End of this chapter)